Jerry Rice Rookie Cards: Market Value and Collectibility

For legions of football fans, the words "wide receiver" are synonymous with one player: Jerry Rice. Considered the greatest NFL receiver to ever play the game, Rice still holds several NFL records to this day that may never be broken. During his 20 seasons in the league, Rice redefined his position as he'd become one of the most decorated players to ever grace a football field. However, does Rice's popularity and numerous accolades translate to his rookie cards as a potential investment for collectors? Before we dive into his cards though, let's revisit Jerry Rice's iconic NFL career.

Jerry Rice: The Making of an NFL Legend

Believe it or not, Jerry Rice had no early aspirations to ever play football. Yet from a young age, he developed his catching technique thanks to his father, a brick mason. During the summer months, Rice would help his father at the brickyards. His dad would toss bricks to his son, which Rice learned to catch with strength and accuracy.

Rice didn't start playing football until his talents were discovered by accident during his sophomore year at Mississippi Valley State University. In fact, he was skipping class one day when the college principal caught him. Rice fled and the principal ran after him, but he had no chance of catching the future NFL Hall of Famer because of his speed. Instead of punishing the young man, the principal invited him to play football for MVSU. As they say, the rest was history.

After a slow start, Jerry Rice would go on to break records in college over the next few years. Pro scouts started to take notice, and the San Francisco 49ers selected Rice in the first round of the 1985 NFL Draft. It didn't take the wide receiver long to adjust to the pros. He dominated his rookie season, putting up staggering reception numbers. By the end of the season, Rice walked off with the UPI Offensive Rookie of the Year award, with analysts predicting that he was on his way to becoming one of the all-time greats.

In 1987, he was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year (the first wide receiver to win this award), and was named the NFL's MVP that year by the Newspaper Enterprise Association. A year later, he won the first of three Super Bowls titles (XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX), and was named Super Bowl MVP.

Jerry Rice is also a 13-time Pro Bowler, 12-time All-Pro (tied for the most by any player) and received the ultimate honors when he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. In addition, he's a member of the NFL 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams, the NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. Rice is a true NFL icon and has a football legacy that will live on forever.

Are Jerry Rice Rookie Cards Valuable?

The most valuable Jerry Rice card is his only official rookie card – the 1986 Topps RC #161. It may seem surprising that there was only one rookie issue for this great player, especially because he played at a time when sports cards were produced in massive numbers. However, at the beginning of Rice's career in 1985, athletes typically only had a handful of rookie cards issued.

The good news for card collectors is that McDonald's also issued a rookie card for Rice in several variations, and finding all the variants only adds to the fun.

Investment Potential for Jerry Rice Rookie Cards

Thanks to his huge fanbase, plus the enormous fanbase for the San Francisco 49ers, demand is always high for Jerry Rice memorabilia. Plus, to make up for the dearth of "true" rookie cards, manufacturers from Upper Deck to Panini have issued a wide range of "flashback" Jerry Rice rookie cards and pre-rookie college cards. Yet, it's important to be aware that these are all re-issues, with many of them issued after his retirement in 2005. While these still have value, they won't have the same monetary or historic value as a genuine 1986 Topps #161.

Sites like SportsCardsPro, Sports Card Investor and PriceGuide.Cards monitor and track card values according to trending auction sales online. By checking them periodically, you can get a good idea of the investment potential for Jerry Rice rookie cards.

Best Jerry Rice Rookie Cards to Collect

Here's how Jerry Rice rookie cards are trending on top sites such as SportsCardsPro, Sports Card Investor and PriceGuide.Cards. All prices are for base cards unless otherwise indicated. Also, prices are updated constantly, so these prices may change on any given day.

1986 Topps Jerry Rice #161 ($150,000)

Considered the holy grail of Jerry Rice cards, this rookie classic comes from the 1986 Topps rookie set, which is arguably one of the greatest rookie sets of all-time. The 396-card pack also boasts future legends such as Steve Young, Reggie White, Boomer Esiason, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith and William "Refrigerator" Perry.

Graphically, the card has a beautiful retro vibe, with vivid green borders striped in white like a football field. The card features a fantastic image of Rice in-play, facing the camera and lining up at wideout, getting ready to run a route. Otherwise, the design is streamlined and simple, with a yellow frame around Rice's photo and a blue diagonal 49ers banner at the lower right corner, topped off by the Topps logo at the upper left.

The reverse features Rice's receiving record during his 1985 rookie year and cites his 927 receiving yards as a 49ers rookie record. It also mentions that Rice was named to the UPI and Pro Football Writers' rookie teams for that year. Finally, a box at the left mentions his vital statistics, including his hometown and the college where he played football.

On Sports Card Investor, the lowest price tracked is $34.99 for an Ungraded example, and the top price is a staggering $150,000 for Gem Mint.

According to SportsCardsPro, an Ungraded card trends at around $58, Grade 7 at $86 and Grade 8 at $194. Getting into the higher grades, the prices skyrocket, as Grade 9 trends for around $860, Grade 9.5 at $9,275 and a whopping $66,000 for a Gem Mint card.

At PriceGuide.Cards, the price for a graded card (grade unspecified) trends at $272.57, while the top price trends at $125,655.

1987 Topps Jerry Rice #115 ($2,995)

While not technically a rookie card, this is still a very early Jerry Rice card and deserves to be in any rookie card collection. It shows a striking image of Jerry Rice in action, doing what he did best and running after the catch. There's a colorful "49ers/Jerry Rice" split banner on top, with the Topps All-Pro logo below. At present, you can still find this card at reasonable prices, especially in grades below 9.5. This makes it an excellent and affordable card for collectors looking for early Jerry Rice examples.

According to PriceGuide.Cards, top prices (grade unspecified) are trending for $2,995. And at Sports Card Investor, low prices start at $3 for Ungraded, with a top price of $500 for Gem Mint.

SportsCardsPro shows this card trending at $3 Ungraded, $10 for Grade 7 and $14.75 for Grade 8. Grade 9 trends for $36, Grade 9.5 for $150 and the card tops out at $360 for Gem Mint.

1986 McDonald's SF 49ers Jerry Rice

While it's not an official card, the 1986 McDonald's issue is also a desirable rookie to own and an indispensable part of any Jerry Rice collection. In fact, this card came in four different-colored tab variations.

The image shows a full shot of Rice in-action, facing the camera and running with the ball. Each corner features a small red square — one with the McDonald's logo and the other three with 49ers, NFL and football logos. At the bottom of the card, there's a scratch-off banner advertising the McDonald's "Play & Win" game that was being held at the time. When you scratched the banner off, you'd get NFL game date information, plus a McDonald's coupon.

First-release cards had a blue tab, and later cards were released with black, orange and green tabs. Today, the most valuable of these cards are the ones with their scratch-off tab intact and unscratched. Of the four colors, the hardest to find still intact is the blue since it was the first one released. After that first week, collectors probably realized that a pristine card could potentially be far more valuable than the coupon for fries or burgers hidden beneath.

1986 Orange McDonald's ($1,249)

For lower-grade examples, SportsCardsPro lists trending prices at $85.86 for Ungraded, $184 for Grade 7 and $230.41 for Grade 8. The top trending price is $1,249 for Grade 9.

1986 Blue MacDonald's Rookie ($1,000)

At SportsCardsPro, prices start at $158 for Ungraded, $215 for Grade 7 and $283.75 for Grade 8. The top price currently trending is $1,000 for Grade 9.

1986 Black McDonald's ($775)

SportsCardsPro shows prices starting at $100.75 for Ungraded, $255 for Grade 8 and $775 for Grade 9, the highest grade currently trending.

1986 Green McDonald's ($235)

At SportsCardsPro, Ungraded examples are trending at $137, with top prices currently trending at around $235 for Grade 8.

Where to Find Jerry Rice Rookie Cards

You can find Jerry Rice rookie cards listed for sale at a wide selection of online auction sites, including:

• eBay
• EBTH
• Goldin
• Sotheby's
• Christie's
• SCP Auctions
• Invaluable
• PWCC
• Memory Lane
• Pristine Auction
• Lelands
• Robert Edward Auctions
• Heritage Auctions

In addition, be sure to look out for sports cards and memorabilia shows. You can find these by doing a Google search, or by checking collecting sites, community forums and social media sports pages.

How Are Jerry Rice Rookie Cards Graded?

Sports cards are graded according to an established numeric grading system ranging from Ungraded to a Perfect 10. Here's how it works:

Perfect 10: This card is graded Gem Mint across all four grading criteria: corners, surface, edges, and centering. It's the absolute best a card can be, and is flawless even under 10x magnification.

Gem Mint: Gem Mint cards are perfect, with sharp corners, vibrant coloring and no damage or stains.

Grade 9.6: Near-Mint condition, typically with just one minor flaw.

Grade 9: Excellent condition, with just a couple of minor flaws.

Grades 8 and below: These have condition damage or flaws, and are priced lower.

Raw or Ungraded: Raw cards have just been pulled from their packages and are new to the market. Ungraded cards haven't been through the grading process, and may or may not be new to the market.

Condition is of primary importance for sports cards. The slightest corner crease or patch of fading can cause a card to plummet in price by hundreds or even thousands of dollars, even if it's rare. And while condition is primary, demand and rarity also fuel the market. A rare card may stagnate on the market if it isn't in demand, while a more-common card might continue to increase if collectors are clamoring for it. Likewise, online bidding wars can cause cards from popular players to escalate beyond their expected price. And while top prices generally go for Gem Mint or Grade 9.5 cards, lower-grade cards can command healthy prices too, especially if there's a wide demand for them. And if a card is especially rare, some collectors will pay whatever they can afford to get it, even if it's not in top condition.

Should I Get My Cards Graded?

Grading is always a good idea if you're planning to sell or donate your cards, or pass them down to family members or friends. When cards are graded, they're assigned with a universally recognized condition grade. This authenticates them and establishes their quality, making them easier to sell or trade.

Even if you don't plan on selling your cards, you'll have the satisfaction of having them individually certified, authenticated and registered in the grading company's international database.

Potentially, grading can help enhance the value of your cards, and provide recognized authentication for your collection. By getting your cards graded, you'll have a collection that you can show with pride and pass on to future generations.